The Gospel of John: John 18.1-40

Read and meditate on John 18.25-32.
One trial ends, and the other experiences a change of venue and jurisdiction. And Jesus remains completely in charge.

                                                ²⁵Now Peter stood
and warmed himself. Then someone said, “You should
be one of His disciples, are you?” He
said, “I am not.” ²⁶Then one who served the priest,
a relative of him who had his ear
cut off by Peter, said, “Were you not there
with Jesus, in the garden?” ²⁷Peter then
denied again that it was so, and when
he did, a rooster crowed.

                                        ²⁸So after this
the Jews led Jesus out from Caiaphas
to the Praetorium. The day was just
beginning. They did not go in there, lest
they be defiled, and kept from joining in
the Passover. ²⁹So Pontius Pilate then
went out to them and said, “What charge do you
bring here against this Man?” ³⁰They said unto
him, “We would not be here at all if He
were not an evildoer, nor would we
deliver Him to you.” ³¹Then Pilate said,
“Take Him and judge Him by your law instead.”
They said to him, “Our law does not allow
us to put Him to death,” ³²and this is how
the word of Jesus was fulfilled, when He
explained how He would die.

- John 18.25-32

Reflect
1.  Jesus had been struck, undoubtedly in Peter’s sight, and was being led from the courtyard of the high priest to the courtyard of the Roman governor. Meanwhile, Peter continued warming himself. Is Peter thinking more about himself or about Jesus at this point? Is there a warning here for us? Complete the following prayer: Let me not fear to be identified with You, Lord Jesus, or to…

2.  Peter is given two more opportunities to confess Jesus, yet he is emphatic in denying any relationship with Him (vv. 25, 26). What has happened to Peter? Why did this happen? How can we make sure this never happens to us? Lord, let me not be afraid to confess You, or to share with others what You…

3.  Peter’s trial is over. He has fallen through temptation into sin. It’s not the end of his story, of course, but the trial of Peter offers an opportunity for us to reflect on our daily trials. What can we learn from Peter’s failure to help us in remaining faithful to the Lord whenever we’re tempted to deny or disobey Him? Thank You for Peter, Lord, because he…

4.  Jesus’ trial now undergoes a change of venue, and there is only one reason for this. Jesus has said that he must be “lifted up” in His dying, clearly implying His being impaled on a Roman gibbet (cf. Jn. 3.14, 8.28, and 12.32, 33). Why didn’t the Jews just take care of this themselves (v. 31)? Jesus’ word could not fail or be broken, so it was necessary for the Jews to put the trial into the Roman court. Now they have Jesus right where He wants them. Explain. Lord, You are sovereign down to the smallest details of my life, and I thank You that…

5.  The Jews could not put someone to death without Roman consent (except they would in Stephen’s case, Acts 7, so angry and passionate had they become). Actually, Jewish law allowed the death penalty for certain crimes. But the Jews understood they needed to bow the knee to Caesar even more than to the Law of God. Still, they kept up the appearance of conformity to God’s Law when it suited them(vv. 28, 29), even as they denied God’s Law in yielding to Pilate’s authority. They obeyed God’s Law as it was convenient, and they deferred to other laws when it was not. What’s the danger in living this way? Are Christians ever tempted to make this mistake? Explain. Bring together your prayers from questions 1-4 into one prayer.

Summary
“See how the prediction of the Physician is fulfilled and the presumption of the sick man is brought to the light. For there is no performance of what Peter had asserted, ‘I will lay down my life for your sake.’ Instead, we see a fulfillment of what Jesus had predicted, ‘You shall deny me three times.’” Augustine (354-430 AD)

Courage like Jesus showed requires complete dependence on God and His Word. Peter trusted in his own word, and when it suited his purposes, he changed that word. God’s Word never fails, as Jesus knew, and as His trial makes abundantly clear. We must not allow the trials of life to cause us to turn away from God’s Word. How can we tell when we, like Peter, are depending more on our word than on the Lord’s?

Closing Prayer
Show me Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.
Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Psalm 25.4-10

Psalm 25.4-10 (Festal Song: Revive Thy Work, O Lord)
Make me to know Your ways, teach me Your paths, O Lord!
My Savior, all day long I wait and seek You in Your Word.

Remember mercy, Lord, and steadfast love to me!
And all my sins before You let them not remembered be!

My sins have been of old, Your love is new each day;
According to Your goodness, Lord, regard my sinful way.

Upright and good are You, You lead us in Your way;
The humble You instruct in truth and guide him day by day.

The paths of God are all of love and faithfulness;
All they who keep His covenant the Lord will surely bless.

T. M. Moore

We are happy to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in our series on the Gospel of John by clicking here.

Need help learning to pray the psalms? Order the book, God’s Prayer Program, and discover why and how to realize the power of the psalms to transform your prayer life (click here).

Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.